Everlasting > Barely lasting
How long are you going to trade the everlasting for the barely lasting? As humans, we are always so quick to seek temporary things, temporary happiness, temporary pleasures, and temporary peace. Temporary things seem to be a pattern in our lives. The word temporary is defined by Google as “lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent.” I think a lot of times people (me especially) mistake joy for happiness. In the past, I traded in the everlasting for barely lasting for far too long. I chose so many things over God for so long. I was living in a dark and lonely place, there wasn't joy in my life because I was seeking temporary happiness. I was looking for my worth and my happiness in the people and things of this world. I had no joy in my life and it showed through my actions, words, and feelings. Happiness is as temporary as it gets, it comes and goes as the days pass. Happiness is usually a feeling we base on our circumstances, like if we got the job or if our favorite team won the big game. When hardships come, the happiness we feel tends to quickly fade away until the next good thing happens. Joy and happiness are not the same, joy is consistent and not found in people or in things of this world, joy is found in Christ. When we are rooted in Christ our joy is not based on our circumstances. Our joy is not based on the things that happen to us. Our joy is not based on who walks in and out of our lives. Our joy is solely based on Jesus Christ alone who never fails or forsakes us. As Christians, we can have joy in even the hardest times of our lives because God is good and His plan is trustworthy. To have joy in the midst of trials requires a mind fixed on something trials cannot touch. Anything that this world has to offer is temporary, unlike what God has to offer which is everlasting. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” As followers of Christ, we are called to set our eyes on the things above, our mindsets shift when we aren't focused on things of this world, and our lives change. I've seen it happen in my own life, as well as in the lives of those around me. Seriously ask yourself, what are you trading for the everlasting? Trade in the barely lasting for the everlasting, you won't regret it I promise.
Romans 15:13 “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Psalm 144:15 “Yes, joyful are those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.”
Psalm 16:8-9 “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.”
John 15:11 “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
Good Talk,
Rylie With The Messy Life :)
